The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1887-02-04

were weary and oppressed with their
ever increasing burdens of care and
anxiety; for sympathy, like other lux
uries, we had no time, though perhaps /
our busy fingers felt and applied the
gentle emotion which our teeming !
minds could not contain. 1t was to- |
ward dusk, and still the ambulances
continued to bring new victims requir-
ing shelter and attention.
"'What shall we do, JacksonP' I Said /
to a brother surgeon. If tbs ooes ON |
much longer we shan be unable to ac-
commOdate ITEM. Every ward il f.,
now nd our material for emergencies
As about exhausted.
a." Don know, I'm sure he replied,
helplessly. I'm about worn out. Had
no sleep last night, and would give a
small tortne for a glass of wine, only II
seems like robbery to take It. Fesl
guilty even if I apply a qeinine pill to
my own use somebody sure to need il
more HallOi here's a fresh batchr
ana bur conversation was nipped short.
Il moved forward TO reply to the
questions of nurse, and in doing so
caught sight of a prisoner, wounded
and helpless, whom they were bringing
in. He was a lad. scarcely more than
seventeen His gray uniform was
stained and tattered. His left arm Law
lnertly, evidently shattered, on the
wooden stretcher, while his right was
tossed above his head, and the white.
boyish hand was partially hidden in the
unshorn, tangled masses of his sunay
halr' The eyes We're closed, and tJle
dark fringe of their lashes, unusually
thick and heavy lay like a duskv shadow
on the fair, white skin; pitifully white
IL was, and so delicately fair that it
seemed rather the face of girl than of
a soldier. A great throb of pitymoved
me at the sight; not even the demands
of my duty could prevent the overpow-
ering tide of emotion from acting upon
me. Quickly forgetting the nurse by
my side in this new interest, APP
preached the men who bore him.
Where are you taking himP' /
asked
"'No. 5O6,' one answered. Don't
think there's any bed for him. Every
things fun
Follow me, 1 ordered, quick idea
flashing upon me. Itraversed the ward
and an adjacent passage-way, and
opened the door of a small room re-
served for the doctors, in one corner of
which stood the bed which / shared
with Jackson. The room was occupied
by two or three of my associates as 1
entered, who raised inquiring eyes at
the interruption.
"Tm sorry, boss / said, with curt
brevity but there's no help for it. l
can't let this child go with the herd.
I'll make it all right with Jack and
motioning to the men, I soon had the
patient bestowed to my own satisfac-
ton; with the aid of a nurse undressed
him and discovered the nature of his
wounds
THAT they were serious enough, a
quick survey satisfied me; a bullet
SCATTERING the left arm had penetrated
the body, just above the lung, in so
nearly fatal manner that any exer-
ton or excitement would bring on
hemorrhage which could have but one
result. He was quite unconscious, sand
having set and splintered his arm, I
left the nurse with him and fastened
about my other duties. According to
our prearranged system it was my
night to sleep, and sorely 1 required
rest but, knowing that the much
needed nurse could not be spared to at
tend single patient, resolved to take
that duty upon myself, and made siren
uous efforts to keep awake.
1.-The delicate skin was flushed and
tevered now; the wandering senses,
sometimes half stepped in restless
slumber, at others were Iistlessly wake
full, and the parehed, dry lips muttered
half-audible words. The night was
bright, with moon young as the i'm
mature life before me; but the lusty
rays of the one shone in painful con-
trast athwart the dim, shadowy spirit
of the other. From the distant wards
came sometimes subdued groans, anon,
n sharp, irrepresible cry of anguish;
but here all was still. The weary men
who lay upon the beds slept noiselessly
in the deep repose of exhaustion. From
the pockets of the young soldier 1 had
| taken, carefully, their contents, and
now, in the rays of the moon, L COM
pared the bOyish face of the photograph
with the living one, and quickly con-
WINGED myself that they were Identical.
I drew a heavy sigh as I glanced from
him back to the sad-featured mother,
and wondered if the strange instinct
of maternity had presaged the early
death of this. her son. The prophetic
look of sorrow which l first noticed in
her face seemed to have given place to
a confirmed depth of woe, and was
about putting it down on the little table
beside me, when, with a sudden, quick
movement, the lad started up in bed,
and, Notwithstanding all my efforts,
poured forth a voluble series of dis
jointed remarks.
'"Mother, mother, motherl' he cried,
I could not help it, had to 90, had
to, you know You know it, don't
you, mother? had to-had to-had to.
Let YOU know? Told your She
wouldn't have letme go. She wouldn't,
you know, turning to me. There,
don't hold me, mother, must gor as /
tried to restrain him and to quietly
force him to lie down Mother, DON t
don't! my country-yOu taught me
mother, if you'd kiss me just once
right here here-here-w where the fire
is. It's burned ever since / stole away
that night, and he lays his right hand
above theyoung heart, which had ached,
perhaps, with pangs of homesickness as
fierce as those of the wound which
throbs and fortunes his brave young
spirit.
"He stopped moment and am ex-
precision of physical suffering distorted